Alabama Today

By David and Jason

Location“Located in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west.”

Climate

• “Generally, Alabama has very hot summers and mild winters with copious precipitation throughout the year. Alabama receives an average of 56 inches (1,400 mm) of rainfall annually and enjoys a lengthy growing season of up to 300 days in the southern part of the state”

• “The all-time record low of −27 °F (−33 °C) was recorded at New Market on January 30, 1966”

• “Though winters in the state are usually mild, nightly freezing occurs frequently in the North Alabama region. “

History:

• “Indigenous peoples inhabited the area of Alabama before Europeans came. Made up of Native American Tribes. At the time when Europeans came, there were Iroquoian-speaking Cherokee, and the Muskogean-speaking Alabama (Alibamu), Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, and Mobile.”

• French were first Europeans in 1702 to settle, forming “Old Mobile.” Then British came along with other Europeans.

Developments:

• Had lots of cotton plantations, so slaves were brought in supporting the “Black Belt” economy (because of dark, productive soils in the region)

• “The 1860 census records show that enslaved Africans comprised 45% of the state's total population of 964,201. There were only 2,690 free persons of color living in Alabama at the time.”

• Alabama contributed 120,000 soldiers to American Civil War as member of the Confederate States of America which comprised of Southern “slave” states

• “Alabama's slaves were freed by the 13th Amendment in 1865”

After Civil War…

• State still quite agricultural with lots of cotton plantations supplying the economy

• Rise of Ku Klux Klan, in Alabama they attacked “freedmen” and Republicans

• Insurgent whites publicly opposed black rights and after successfully gaining power in “state legislature,” Democrats passed “Jim Crow Laws” and racial segregation

• As a result blacks lost most voting rights

Return of Rights:

• “During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans achieved a protection of voting and other civil rights through the passage of the national Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. De jure [concerning law] segregation ended in the states as Jim Crow laws were invalidated or repealed.”

After defeat of creek Indians in 1810s, Alabama opened up to white settlers looking for fertile land to grow cotton- they came in their thousands.

Changes in the Population1820 Federal Census:Alabama population=144,317White population=96,245African-American population=48,082Slave population=47,449Free black population=633Urban population=n/aRural population=n/a

1870 Federal Census: After start of Civil War in 1861State population=996,992.White population=521,384African-American population=475,510Urban population=62,700 Rural population=934,292Cotton production in bales=429,482Corn production in bushels=16,977,948Number of manufacturing establishments=2,188. 2000 Federal Census:

State population=4,447,100. White population=3,188,102African-American population=1,138,726Hispanic population=45,349

Ethnicity:

Religion:

• Alabama located in the “Bible Belt” which means most of the population are Protestant

• Mobile County is comprised of a high number of Catholics, probably due to the French and Spanish influence when they settled here.

• In the 2008 American Religious Identification Survey, only 11% of people did not have a religion

Health:

• Research by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- “showed that Alabama was the worst in the country for obesity with most counties having over 29% of adults obese, except for ten which exceeded 26%.”

• “Residents were least likely of any state in the nation to exercise.”

• “Alabama has one of the highest incidents of adult onset diabetes in the country, exceeding 10% of adults”

Governments:

• The Alabama Constitution (ratified in 1901) is “the world's longest constitution [310,000 words] and is roughly forty times the length of the U.S. Constitution”

• There are “claims” (only speculations though) that the length of this is because aspects of racial prejudice are included.

How all this relates to To Kill a Mockingbird

• The tale is set in 1930s Alabama, when the Great Depression was happening- “The Cunninghams are country folks, farmers, and the crash hit them hardest” (page 27)

• Maycomb County is a fictional town, but it can be well related back to Monroeville, Harper Lee’s home town in Alabama eg. Both are “sleepy small” towns with similar streets and buildings etc.

• Calpurnia goes to church as well as many others because most of the population had a religion

How it relates to novel continued:

• Segregation was still powerful in the 1930s, until 1964 when black Americans become more protected by the Civil Rights Act- in the novel, Tom Robinson was convicted of rape by an “all-white” jury even though there was sufficient evidence provided by Atticus that he was innocent. Atticus is also accused for being a “nigger-lover” by fighting for Robinson in the trial.

• The climate becomes unusual in the novel- at the start it seems normal with warm summer, but when winter comes, temperatures drop to lowest “since 1885, Atticus said.”

Capital City: Birmingham, Alabama

Alabama today